1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an endoscope system having a multistage operating member for providing the functions of an endoscope, a program and an endoscope system control method.
2. Description of the Related Art
An endoscope has been widely used in the field of medicine, for example, to observe regions which cannot be directly viewed such as those in a lumen. Such an endoscope is generally configured having an elongated insertion portion to be inserted into a subject and an operation portion for performing operation on a hand side. Such an operation portion is often provided with an air feeding/water feeding button for performing air feeding/water feeding, a suction button for performing suction and the like. The air feeding/water feeding button is configured as a two-stage depression button and configured such that air feeding by a first stage depression and water feeding by a second stage depression are performed by means of a mechanical mechanism. In addition, such a conventional medical-purpose endoscope is subjected to sterilization and the like for reuse each time the same is used.
In contrast to this, an endoscope is proposed in which an insertion portion to be inserted into a subject is detachably attached to an operation portion.
An example of such an endoscope is a rotary self-propelled endoscope wherein a rotating cylindrical body having a spiral-form portion and rotatable about an axis is provided on an outer peripheral side of an insertion portion and rotation of the rotating cylindrical body enables automatic insertion through an anus into a large intestine. In the rotary self-propelled endoscope, the insertion portion having the rotating cylindrical body is detachably attached to an operation portion and configured to be disposable.
Also in a detachable-insertion-portion-type endoscope, it is conceivable to provide an air feeding conduit line, a water feeding conduit line and a suction conduit line similarly to a typical endoscope. In this case, if conduit lines for connecting with these conduit lines are provided in the operation portion, the operation portion has to be sterilized each time the endoscope is used, thereby reducing an effect of making the insertion portion disposable.
Therefore, in such a detachable-insertion-portion-type endoscope, it is considered preferable to enable conduit lines from the insertion portion to be connected to an air feeding/water feeding device or a suction device not via an interior of the operation portion.
However, in an endoscope having an operation portion in which no conduit line exists, an operating button of a conduit line system in the operation portion needs to be changed from control by means of a mechanical mechanism which is general in conventional endoscopes to some other means so that control of the conduit line system can be properly performed. Particularly, with respect to the above described two-stage depression button such as the air feeding/water feeding button, a special contrivance is considered to be necessary in order to provide the functions of the endoscope satisfactorily.
The present invention is made in view of the above circumstances, and has for its object to provide an endoscope system which can provide the functions of an endoscope satisfactorily using a multistage operating member which is not mechanically controlled.